COLOR ME

Snow fell gently outside, blanketing the January morning with a quiet, cold grace. I glanced out the window, half-hoping for school to be canceled, but the snow wasn’t heavy enough. Riverview Academy awaited, a place where nightmares were made real by the relentless bullying. I had asked several times to be transferred to another school, but Mom and Dad insisted that Riverview was the best high school in London. It was too late now, as I would be graduating in July this year. To them, Riverview was the pinnacle of education, a stepping stone to the best universities. Everyone would love to send their kids here, but few could afford it. It was so expensive. Dad worked tirelessly as a Global Consultant, frequently traveling due to his job. Mom crocheted and sold her pieces online. They sacrificed a lot to send me here, and though I appreciated their efforts, it didn't make the daily torment any easier. "Soren, wake up!" My little brother’s voice pierced through my thoughts. I hadn't noticed him enter my room. "Soren, how many times have I told you to knock before you come in?" I grumbled. Soren, ever punctual, was a star pupil at school and always insisted on being on time. "You made us arrive late yesterday!" he exclaimed. "Soren, you know I hate school!" "You’ve told me that enough times, Addie. Can we move on from that?" he said. "I’m not leaving your room until you get out of bed. We only have thirty-six minutes before school starts," he shouted. "Get out then, I need to go shower!" I said, shooing him away. Soren reluctantly left, but he knew I had to get dressed. He looked just like me, but he didn’t let the insults bother him. All he cared about was excelling in class and becoming a successful engineer—though he hadn’t decided on which type yet. I dragged myself out of bed, bracing for another week of mean comments from my classmates. Despite my years at Riverview, I hadn’t developed a thick skin. The kids had a new set of insults every year. "Addie, breakfast is ready!" Mom called from downstairs. I knew I couldn’t be late, or I’d face the punishment for latecomers—cleaning classrooms or toilets in the evening. I had already endured enough of that. I quickly watered my plants, took a shower, and dressed. As I rushed downstairs, I saw Soren already eating breakfast. Today’s meal was plantains and tripe, Mom and Dad's favorite. We balanced African, American, and European dishes at home. "Addie, you’re going to be punished for coming late again. Why not pack the breakfast and eat it later at school?" Mom suggested. "Tripe has a distinct smell. The kids at school will have a field day mocking me for it." "Mom, I don’t want anyone to make fun of me. I’ll try to eat it as fast as I can." "Addie, we only have eighteen minutes until class starts, and you know that’s how long it takes us to get to school on time!" Soren said. "Let me skip breakfast then. I’ll eat during the break at 10:30 a.m." "No, the breakfast at school is very light," Mom insisted. "You’ll be starving by lunchtime." Mom packed my breakfast, and she drove us to school. Even though I knew how to drive, Mom and Dad refused to let me have a car because, in Africa, the legal age was eighteen. Most of my classmates had cars, which only added to my frustration. We were the last students to arrive, but we made it on time. "See ya, sis!" Soren said, heading off to his class. I was left with the familiar pang of fear, facing my tormentors. My first class was English with Mrs. Claudine Joyce. Luckily, she was often late, so I had a few minutes of respite. I entered the classroom, where everyone was already conversing. I moved to the back where my friends sat—the class outcasts. We were invisible from everyone else back there. Andrew Finau, a Polynesian boy, Meadow Lowe, a girl who couldn’t see without her glasses, and Jensen Bekele, a chubby boy, welcomed me with smiles. "How was your weekend, Addie?" Jensen asked. "My weekend was okay. Mae and I went to the mall on Saturday." "I was telling them that we had a blast, Addie," Mae chimed in. "What did you guys do?" I asked. "I played video games all weekend. You know, I make some money off my Twitch channel," Andrew said. He had quite a following and wanted to become a professional gamer. "I spent my weekend at the country club. Played golf with Dad and his friends, and hit the gym," Jensen said. "You know I want to look good for you, Addie," he added with a shy smile. Jensen had a huge crush on me. He was a great guy, but I didn’t feel the same way. Though he was often made fun of for his weight, he was kind-hearted and only insecure. "Look at the loser quartet talking about how they spent the weekend!" a voice sneered from the front of the class, and a few of the kids laughed. “Ewww, who wants to spend their time with any of you?” the annoying girl sneered. Her name was Kemi Barre, and she was the worst bully at Riverview Academy—my tormentor. “Midnight, Glasses, Cupcake, and Poly, tell me which malls you hang out at so that I don’t accidentally go there,” Kemi sneered. Liz Cho, Kemi’s friend, whispered something in her ear. “Liz here says she saw you at Starlight Mall. Who even hangs out in such a place? It’s for poor students like you!” Kemi taunted. Liz’s face flushed with embarrassment as she looked down. We had seen her at the mall on Saturday but hadn’t said anything. She had been alone, avoiding us as if we were invisible. We had wondered where her friends were. If Kemi had been there, she wouldn’t have left us alone. The room fell silent, all eyes on Kemi and us. Kemi snatched my open bag from the floor, having noticed I hadn’t closed it after taking out my textbook. She rummaged through it and pulled out my food container. “Stop touching my things, Kemi,” I said, but it was too late. She had already opened it, and the strong smell of tripe filled the room. “What is this disgusting food, Adessa?” Kemi wrinkled her nose. “I want to vomit!” She and her friends made exaggerated vomiting gestures. Mae, who had been sitting quietly, couldn’t take it anymore. She grabbed the container and, with a swift movement, poured it over Kemi. Kemi stood in shock, her face a mask of disbelief. Mae didn’t stop there; she splashed the rest of the food on Kemi’s friends as well. “This food is actually quite nice, Kemi. I’ve had it several times at Addie’s house,” Mae said. “It’s one of the best dishes you can eat.” Kemi, now drenched in tripe, was livid. The smell was overwhelming. She glared at Mae, ready to retaliate, but Tendai Moyo Dube, her boyfriend, intervened. He had been watching the scene unfold and stepped in to restrain Kemi. “Let me go!” Kemi yelled, struggling against Tendai’s hold. Mae, equally enraged, was held back by Andrew and Jensen. I stood between both parties, trying to defuse the situation. “Kemi, you started this. What did you expect?” I said, trying to remain calm. “Tendai, tell Midnight here to shut her mouth,” Kemi demanded. “I’m going to report her and her friends to the administration. They’ll be expelled by the end of the day!” “Kemi, you can’t do anything to me. Remember, my dad is the Mayor of this city!” Jensen retorted. Kemi’s eyes flashed with recognition. “Well, I’m going to report this to the Headmaster!” she said defiantly. “I recorded everything that happened,” Andrew said, holding up his smartwatch. Kemi’s eyes widened in shock. “Poly, if you report me, I’ll make things ten times harder for you!” Kemi threatened. “Kemi, what do we do now? We smell awful,” Liz said, glancing at the mess. “I don’t know about you, but I have a change of clothes in my bag for emergencies,” Kemi said, with a smug look. She strolled off, leaving Liz and Raven looking like fools, their clothes stained with food. Tendai gave me a brief look before heading back to his friends. Grayson Knight-Campbell, one of the bullies, began making monkey-like gestures. His friends, Noah Dreyfus and Elijah Ceccon, laughed loudly. I felt a surge of anger. Their racist behavior was deeply hurtful. Jensen placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Addie, ignore them. For now, we need to clean up the mess or we’ll end up with detention.” Mae and I headed to the bathroom. Mae washed her hands, while I grabbed some toilet paper to clean up the food from the floor. When I returned to the classroom, students had already opened the windows to air out the room. After cleaning up, I went back to wash my hands. As I returned, Mrs. Claudine Joyce walked in. “Class, what is that smell?” she asked, her nose wrinkling. Everyone turned to look at me. “My food spilled,” I lied, trying to avoid further confrontation. “Your food has a distinct smell. What was it?” Mrs. Joyce inquired. “It was plantain and tripe, a dish from Africa,” I explained. “I won’t punish you for today, but next time it happens, you’ll receive detention,” she said firmly. “Bringing food to class is strictly forbidden, as you know.” I wanted to explain what Kemi had done, but I hesitated, seeing that Mrs. Joyce was willing to let it go. “Go sit down,” she said, dismissing me. Kemi, Liz, and Raven entered the classroom after me. Kemi had changed into fresh clothes, while Liz and Raven still wore their stained outfits, looking on the verge of tears. “Why are you late?” Mrs. Joyce asked them. Kemi glanced at me for a brief moment before answering. “I’ve been feeling nauseous and ended up vomiting on myself. Liz and Raven escorted me out to help clean up.” “I’m so sorry to hear that. Have you seen the nurse?” Mrs. Joyce asked with concern. “Yes,” Kemi lied in response to Mrs. Claudine Joyce’s inquiry. Mrs. Joyce allowed them to take their seats. Bruce Renaut, who sat behind Kemi, Liz, and Raven, held his nose in reaction to the lingering smell. Kemi didn’t notice, but Liz and Raven did and were visibly upset. During break, I avoided the cafeteria, still feeling embarrassed from earlier, and chose to stay in class. Jensen, always thoughtful, brought me an apple from his breakfast, offering a small but welcome gesture of support.